July is the Month of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

July begins with a celebration of the Most Precious Blood on the 1st, in the trad calendar.  We give thanks for this great Gift of Our Lord at the Last Supper, which becomes present to us at each Holy Mass.  We must not forget the wine which transforms into the Precious Blood, began as grapes in a vineyard…so connected to the land is the practice of our Holy Faith, in accord with God’s will, in accord with an Authentic Life.

So what did we pick out of the plastic cup this time?  The Catholic Encyclopedia.  That means for the Precious Blood of Jesus, we will look at what this famous volume has to say.  The Catholic Encyclopedia was completed in 1914 and has been added to, numerous times since then.  It remains widely used, despite its out-of-date language.  It is at times a tedious read (and quite exhaustive)…but in the case of this month’s theme, the content is brief, though does get into the theological weeds, as is to be expected.  Please see the link above at New Advent, for more info and also for the complete, updated content.  This site is also a great resource for Catholic news and other offerings.

The entry on the “Precious Blood” draws on the writings of Pope Benedict XIV and other well-known theologians.  The first sentence states simply:

“The Blood of Our Divine Saviour.”

That does not leave much to misunderstand, does it?  Here are some excerpts, broken down into readable segments for meditation:

1)      “Jesus, at the Last Supper, ascribes to [His Blood] the same life-giving power that belongs to His flesh.”

2)      “The Apostles, St. Peter…St. John…and above all St. Paul regard it as synonymous with Jesus's Passion and Death, the source of redemption. The Precious Blood is therefore a part of the Sacred Humanity and hypostatically united to the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.” 

3)      “Viewed as a part of the Sacred Humanity hypostatically united to the Word, the Precious Blood deserves latreutical [of or pertaining to latria, the highest form of worship*]…adoration. It may also like the Heart or the Wounds from which it flowed, be singled out for special honour, in a way that special honour was rendered it from the beginning by St. Paul and the Fathers who so eloquently praised its redeeming virtue and rested on it the Christian spirit of self-sacrifice.”

4)      “…the lives of the saints are replete with devotion to the Precious Blood. In due course of time the Church gave shape and sanction to the devotion by approving societies like the Missionaries of the Precious Blood; enriching confraternities like that of St. Nicholas…attaching indulgences to prayers and scapulars in honour of the Precious Blood; and establishing commemorative feasts of the Precious Blood…”

The Catholic Encyclopedia gives us food for thought during this month when we give praise to the Most Precious Blood.  May we also seek to make reparation for the sins against this extraordinary Gift.

We pray especially on the 4th for the United States of America…for peace, liberty, restoration of the sanctity of life and the triumph of Holy Church through our Patroness, the Immaculate Conception.

Notable feasts in July, from both calendars…

2nd-VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

3rd-Saint Thomas, Apostle

6th-Saint Maria Goretti, Martyr of Purity

11th-Saint Benedict, Founder of Western Monasticism

14th-Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Lily of the Mohawks (USA)

16th-OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL

22nd-Saint Mary Magdelan

25th-Saint James, Apostle

26th-Saint Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin

29th-Saints Martha, Mary & Lazarus

31st-Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Founder of the Jesuits

****** Prepper Challenge for Summer ******

What is My Contribution?  What is My Special Gift?

Your community and the Church are going to need you in the coming days.  What will you specialize in that will be a significant contribution?  Every prepper tends to develop a skill or two that is specialized.  What interests you?  What is a “sustainable” skill that will have value even in a grid-down (no electricity) situation?  Do you already have a skill?  Can you improve it?  Can you learn a new one?  Think and pray about it!

Noah was the Original Prepper ~ Build Your Ark!

*From Wiktionary

Feasts of July

July began on the 1st with the celebration of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus.  What better way to honor and offer reparation to Our Lord, than to recite the Litany of the Most Precious Blood (see previous post), in the coming weeks?  Litanies are one of the treasures of our Catholic faith, that have gone out of use.  It is a joy to pray them and we must all work to bring back these beautiful aspects of Catholicism for ourselves, our children, and the future. 

Be the restoration you wish to see!

We honor Saint Maria Goretti, young Italian girl who died for purity, on the 6th and the 9th (new/trad).  She was so quickly canonized, her own mother attended the ceremony in Rome. 

We celebrate the holy life of Saint Benedict of Nursia, another Italian, on the 11th.  He is well-known as the father of Western monasticism and the author of the Benedictine Rule, which spread throughout Europe (therefore he became the patron saint of Europe).  Benedict left the sinful world to seclude himself in a rural area, much as some Catholic laity now are beginning to do.  He believed in the self-sufficient community and wrote the principles upon which such communities would thrive.  Also, he was known for invoking the Crucifix and performing many miracles.  His medal is widely worn by the faithful and possesses indulgences.  Benedict’s abbey at Monte Cassino still stands atop a tiered hill in the beautiful Italian countryside.  His twin sister, Saint Scholastica, followed her brother in founding the Benedictine Order for women.  Here are some prayers to Saint Benedict…you may also read further about the medal and even buy one at The Catholic Company…

Prayers to Saint Benedict of Nursia

This past weekend, at the Catholic Land Movement Conference, I was privileged to walk upon the ground of Saint Kateri Tekawitha’s birth, whom we honor on the 14th.  This is also the holy ground, about 10 years before her birth, where Saint Isaac Jogues and his companions gave their lives for Christ.  It was an extraordinary experience.   Kateri is ever-present, in spirit and in statue form, at Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine, located in rural Auriesville, New York.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s feast is the 16th.  She appeared to Saint Simon Stock, giving him the Brown Scapular.  Our Lady of Fatima requested the wearing of this scapular.  Also, at The Catholic Company, here is where you can buy the scapular, in addition to a booklet explaining investiture into this privileged service of Our Lady…

A Journey to Mount Carmel

Further notable feasts of July:

19th-Saint Vincent de Paul

22nd-Saint Mary Magdalen

25th-Saint James the Greater, Apostle (vigil day before) / Saint Christopher

26th-Saints Joachim & Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

29th-Saint Martha

31st-Saint Ignatius Loyola, Founder of the Jesuits

We provide both trad and new feasts.

July is the Month of the Most Precious Blood

Please consider how you might honor the Most Precious Blood of Jesus during this month of July.

Here is your trad calendar for July: http://www.calefactory.org/calendar/wc202207.htm

God bless you and your families. Thank you for reading!

What's Left of July?

The Month of the Most Precious Blood

For a variety of reasons, I was not able to get the first half of the month posted-sorry 'bout that....but there is still half of July left!  (It just so happens I turn 50 during this particular time, which I have been emotionally preparing for, for a long time.  We'll see how well I prepared-I'll tell you how depressed I am in a few weeks!  But seriously, please pray for me during this life transition-I am using it as an opportunity to gain a fresh perspective and make more progress toward my goals, including those relating to this ministry.  TY!) 

So what did we miss?  July commenced with the Feast of the Most Precious Blood followed by the Visitation.  During the past 2 weeks, Holy Church has also honored the Apostle Thomas, the Holy Popes, Our Lady of Refuge, St. Maria Goretti (martyr for purity), Sts. Cyril & Methodius, St. John Fisher & St. Thomas More, St. Veronica, St. Kateri (my great-neice is named for her!) and St. Bonaventure, a Doctor of the Church.  All Ye Holy Saints, pray for us!  Thank you for your most blessed lives!

How can we honor the Precious Blood of Christ this month?  That is a very interesting question because it forces us to consider how His Blood may be distinct from His Body.  I do not pretend to be a theologian, so I will encourage you to pursue this question yourself with prayer.  We will be posting the Litany of the Most Precious Blood during the next 2 weeks, so please come back and pray this beautiful prayer with your family!  Litanies are such a wonderful Church tradition that have been largely lost.  Here are some notable feasts coming up-let us never forget all the great saints who have given their lives for our benefit.....

7/16-Our Lady of Mount Carmel (we will see in our coming Fatima Holy Hours how important the Mount Carmel message is to Our Lady)

7/19-St. Vincent de Paul, 1660

7/20-St. Jerome Emiliani, 1537

7/21-St. Lawrence of Brindisi, 1619-Doctor of the Church

7/22-St. Mary Magdalen

7/23-St. Bridget of Sweden, 1373

7/24-Vigil of St. James the Greater

7/25-St. James the Greater/St. Christopher, c. 250

7/26-Sts. Joachim & Anne

7/29-St. Martha, Companion of Christ

7/30-St. Peter Chrysologus, 450-Doctor of the Church

7/31-St. Ignatius of Loyola, 1556

This blog provides both old and new feasts.